News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
You hear about changing smoke alarm batteries this weekend as you move your clocks back one hour. But how often should you change smoke alarms.
Cookeville Fire Department Battalion Chief James Clouse said he recommends changing batteries in smoke alarms every six months and replacing smoke alarms every ten years.
“The sensors inside can degrade over ten years,” Clouse said. “So you know to make sure that they are operating at the best of their efficiency. You want to make sure that the sensor is still in good shape cause ten years of hanging on the side of the wall can wear it out a little bit.”
Clouse said he recommends when installing a smoke alarm to write the date it was installed inside to help remember when the ten years is up. Clouse said most smoke alarms now come with sealed batteries so the batteries won’t have to be changed as much.
“If you have one that has a sealed battery we still recommend checking it every six months to make sure that it is still operational,” Clouse said.
Clouse said he recommends that a smoke alarm be placed in every room where someone sleeps and one in a hallway.
Clouse said the sign when smoke alarms need to be checked is when they make the infamous beeping sound. Clouse said it is crucial to change smoke alarms as they play a huge role in surviving a house fire.
“It is a huge safety issue,” Clouse said. “Just making sure that alarm is still functioning because you are 60 percent less likely to die in a house fire if you have working smoke alarms in your home.”
Clouse said the Cookeville Fire Department has a smoke alarm program that offers free installation of smoke alarms for those who need them. Clouse said if any Cookeville resident is having trouble replacing the battery or smoke alarm itself to give the Cookeville Fire Department a call at (931) 526-2121.
